


A Broken Reality

by canthatewhatyoucantsee



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friendship, Mostly Gen, OC's Perspective, OCs - Freeform, POV First Person, Slightly Aged-Up Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28485405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthatewhatyoucantsee/pseuds/canthatewhatyoucantsee
Summary: "Sometimes we don't realize the gravity of our actions. One simple yes or no could lead to an entirely different course for the universe. And sometimes, on rare occasions, things that never should have happened... happen. You may never realize it since it's the only reality you have, but it doesn't change the fact that you're living in a broken one... a broken reality with no possible fix." - ???On their way to a vacation, Angie and the Diaz family stumble upon something that should have never existed. One little change made the entire universe have a different outcome. We follow that "one little change" on their journey to do... something. What will be different? What will be the same? Who will change? The only way you can find out is by joining their adventure.





	A Broken Reality

**... 10 years ago...**

The road was long and dark, the nearly infinite trees around us blocking out what little light the moon gave. All I had to rely on was the car's headlights. If only the sun could have come up sooner. The quiet snoring of Rafael could be heard just barely over the AC; we had planned to swap roles every few hours, but after he fell asleep only ten minutes into the trip, I couldn't wake him without feeling terrible. I didn't really care though, I wasn't tired. I looked in the rear-view mirror to get a better look at Marco. He was out harder than his father. The poor boy had cried the entire time about how he felt like something bad was going to happen. Hearing my barely six-year-old son say that... unnerved me, to say the least, but I wasn't letting some silly feeling ruin our vacation.

We only had one hour left before we were out of the forest. It always confused me how such a thick maze of trees was allowed to stay right next to Echo Creek; it was very uncharacteristic for a city. I didn't mind, though; it made for some nice family walks. I planned that once we got out of the forest, we would drive down the interstate for the rest of the day, then stop at a hotel. It's funny. I think we would of had a good time if the impossible didn't happen.

I was completely focused on the road, almost zoning out, when, for only a second, my eyes caught something in the distance. It looked like two, small figures were standing in the road. Time around me seemed to slow down as I put my head closer to the windshield. Nothing was visible... still nothing... then my eyes shot open as I slammed down on the brakes, clenching the steering wheel as hard as I could. We came to a screeching halt as the car tipped a few feet forward. A thunderous thud went through the car as it fell back onto the road. The snoring from Rafael stopped and I could hear my heartbeat through my ears. "Honey?" he said, his voice a bit panicked. "What happened?"

I felt frozen as I was forced to look out the windshield. _Did I hit them_? I thought. _Please tell me I didn't hit them_. I tried to put what I was thinking into words, but I was only able to get a few out. "... K-kids... in street," was all I was able to muster. The shock of everything prevented me from comprehending what had happened.

He turned to the windshield before looking back at me. "Huh?"

A sudden jolt of energy made me almost jump out of my seat. "There were kids in the street!" I shouted as I hopped out of the car. They were nowhere in sight. _I hit them, didn't I?_ I slowly walked to the front of my car, scared as to what I would see. _I just killed two_ \- My worries instantly flushed away when I saw the two kids, only inches from the car bumper. One was a boy, and the other was a girl. The boy was sitting on the floor in a huddled position while the girl just looked at me with wide eyes. "Oh! Thank god!" I nearly shouted. I rushed over to the children. It was hard to tell from a distance, but now I could easily hear light sobbing coming from the boy. He had a slightly tattered, gray Jacket around his neck, something golden in color was clenched in one of his hands. The girl didn't have anything special on her. They were no older than six, the girl appearing slightly younger than the boy.

I looked around hoping I'd see another adult. No dice. I sighed as I turned to the boy, then the girl. "What are you doing out here so early? The sun hasn't even come up yet!" I heard two car doors open as the girl opened her mouth, then quickly closed it again. "Okay then... where are your parents?" She just shrugged as she continued to stare at me.

Rafael came from around the corner and nearly collapsed when he saw the children. "My God!" he shouted. He quickly got down on one knee. "What were you two doing in the middle of the road? We could have hit you!" The girl, once again, shrugged at him, this time staring him down instead of me.

The closing of a car door and little footsteps told me that Marco had come out. I was about to stop him, but I was already too late; he was right next to me, staring at the children with wide eyes. He gave the boy a good, long stare, to which I don't even think the boy noticed, then walked up and slightly shook his shoulder. "Charlie?" Marco eventually said. The boy glanced over at him before returning to his huddled position. "Grace?" Then the girl looked over at him, her face lighting up once she saw him.

I looked down at him. "You know them?"

He nodded. "Yeah. They go to my school." His calm voice told me he didn't realize the gravity of the situation; two kids in the middle of the road, their parents nowhere in sight, was never a good sign. He got closer to the both of them. "Where's your dad at?"

The girl, or Grace, like she had normally done, shrugged in response. This time, though, she actually said words. "I don't know. Charlie rushed over to my friends house, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out here." She looked down at him, a small frown appeared on her face. "Now he's crying and he won't tell me why." Her voice told me she was just as confused as me.

"Do you know your parent's phone number?" I asked, desperate to find a solution to the strange problem. When Grace shook her head, it felt like a needle had stabbed me in the brain. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself, then pulled out my phone; Rafael had went over and crouched down to the children in the meantime, asking them simple questions. I dialed the three familiar numbers, but stopped myself before I began to call. _Should I... call the police? I think that would scare them even more._ I looked over at the children; despite his best efforts, Rafael still hadn't gotten the boy to even look at him, let alone speak. _They would think they were in trouble if they saw the cop car_. I paused for a moment. _I'll just drive them to the police station. At least that way, I could get some information about them_.

I sighed as I slowly put away my phone. "Alright..." I walked over and got on one knee, making the girl take a step back. "We're going to bring you guys to the cops so they can help, okay? You're not in trouble, we just need to get some answers." The girl looked at me weird before turning to Marco. In response, he smiled slightly. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually smiled back, then faced me. Relief filled my head when she nodded.

After some effort, we were able to get both kids in the car. Grace made no fuss, but Charlie... he wouldn't budge no matter how many times we asked, so we eventually had no choice but to pick him up and put him in there. The car ride was full of tension as Rafael tried to get more information out of the kids. Grace genuinely didn't know anything while Charlie still refused to talk; he did finally look at us though, showing me his emerald eyes. Black smudges were all over his face and his clothing was tattered. He looked like he had seen something... traumatizing. Every time we'd ask him a question, he would just stare blankly, at Rafael specifically. Whatever he saw, I had a feeling he'd never forget it. The poor kid; looked so emotionless at times, huddling between his knees. The only thing I could do was hope for the best as we drove back into town. I would not leave the police station until I got answers.

* * *

Forty minutes later and I still sat in the office's chair. A window was to my left, revealing Rafael keeping Marco, Charlie, and Grace entertained in the lobby; it was the first time Charlie looked somewhat happy. The chief officer's desk stood in front of me, revealing a name tag and a picture of his family. Boulenger was his name, James Boulenger. The two children were released a while ago after being questioned, now I was just waiting for the police to "compile their report," whatever that meant. From what little I saw of their faces, the results weren't good. In the meantime, I was left with my thoughts. _This really put a dent in our vacation._ I sighed as I looked back to the window. My husband was currently acting like a child and giving Charlie a piggyback ride. Other officers stared at him as they passed, but I don't think he cared. _At least he's smiling. Who knows what he just went through_.

Just before I would fall asleep, Boulenger finally walked past the group. He gave a little wave to Grace and Charlie before walking towards me and heading in. He let out a long breath of air as he shut the door, a thick folder in his hand. "Sorry for the wait," his gravelly voice said. He walked over and plopped down on the seat in front of me; he had a thick beard and chubby cheeks, all of his hair gray like Santa Clause. He leaned back in his chair. "We just wanted to make sure we got everything right."

I shook my head. "It's no big deal. As long as I know what's up with them, I don't care." Well, I lied a little there. I was completely exhausted and would have preferred he came in twenty minutes ago.

He looked to the floor with a frown. "I think you already know it isn't anything good. Finding two children, no adults in sight, on the middle of the road at 6:00 AM would never have a happy conclusion." When he saw that my face didn't change, he chuckled. "Really determined, huh? Well, no point in hiding it; it'll be on the news soon anyways." He sighed as he faced away from me. "The kids didn't give us much. Charlie barely said a word and Grace was clueless. When we turned to their address though is when things started to get dark."

He put the folder on the table and opened it, revealing a collage of pictures and documents. The first showed the burnt remains of... a building, I think. He pointed to it. "Our men arrived to ash. Nothing in it could be identified..." He took a deep breath. "Including bodies." He moved the picture out of the way revealing another of some man. He had greenish-blue eyes and wore a gray jacket in the picture. "Their father, the only living family member left, was nowhere to be found, and calling his number brings us straight to voicemail." He closed the folder before facing me once again. "From what's been gathered, we believe the children's father burned to death in the fire." He pointed to Charlie. "The boy almost certainly watched it happen considering the shock he's in. His dad's DNA is on the jacket you brought him in with, and it's covered in ash." He shook his head. "After seeing... that, he rushed over to where his sister was having a sleepover, a friend only a few blocks away. Then he proceeded to drag her out and lead her to the road where you found them.

All I could do was stare at him as I felt my entire body shiver. "My god..."

Boulenger, clearly distraught, covered his face. "Yep. Gruesome sight." He tapped his finger against his desk before looking to the children. "I just feel bad for the life those two are about to go through. I know what it's like to be in foster care..." He paused before letting out a little chuckle. "Horrible."

That caught my interest. Me and my husband had taken care of a few foreign exchange students at that point and the kids always seemed to be happy; I assumed the foster care system was the same, albeit long term. But, from what I just heard, it doesn't sound like the case. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He somewhat shrugged. "I was in foster care for a little bit. The adults were never bad. It's just... having the thought of switching to another house, knowing you'll never see your current parents again-" A frown appeared on his face. "-It can really mess with a kid's mind."

I could only imagine how it would feel if I said "Goodbye" to my parents now, but imagining it as a child... I would struggle to feel happy for a long time. I looked back out at Charlie; he was currently talking with Marco, Grace not too far from his side. _They're already so comfortable with us. Maybe-_ I sighed as I turned to the floor. _Maybe we should be their first foster parents. It might get them used to everything_. It didn't take me long to scoff at the thought. I knew damn well it wouldn't be possible. Foreign exchange students were hard enough, but keeping a child for potentially years only to say goodbye... it would be hard on everyone. Then again, that could be a good thing too. We could give them the best life possible, and when they finally have to say goodbye, we'd do it with a smile because we know they'll have another great experience. Plus, Marco could really help them cope with their father's death. No, we all could help them cope with their father's death.

So, despite my better judgment, my brain already made up its mind. At this point, it would be like trying to talk a bear out of hybernating; nearly impossible. I slowly looked back up at the officer. _You can still turn back, Angelica! You haven't sealed your fate yet!_ That was the last attempt from my brain to back out as I processed what to say. "Is there, uh-" I turned to the children, a small smile creeping up as I thought of the possible future. "Is there any way I can guarantee I'll be their foster parent?"

* * *

**Present Day**

The summer heat beamed through my window even though it was closed, the AC doing a poor job of blowing it away; better than nothing, I suppose. I was currently in my bed just staring at the ceiling. It was only a few hours ago I woke up, but I still hadn't left my room. Probably made a few people worried. I just didn't want to get up for whatever reason, almost like there was an invisible rope tied to the bed. I wasn't even tired anymore, just hot. Still, I had to get up eventually. A sigh escaped me as I sat up and grabbed my phone off my nightstand. A few seconds later and I was blown away by what time it was. "1:00 PM? Where the hell did the time go?" When my empty room didn't answer back, I began to stretch. "Guess I should go down now," I tried to let out through it. I got up, my legs wobbling slightly in response, and headed over to my dresser. Sluggishly, I pulled out the usual clothes. Gray jacket, some jeans, you already know. The jacket had fresh stitches from Grandma; I'm surprised the old thing didn't fall apart sooner. I would've thrown it away but, I don't know. I guess it just felt wrong after having it for my entire life.

After throwing those on in a very slow fashion, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Boy was I surprised when I stared at my reflection. I looked like I had been in a tornado, my brown hair being in multiple swirls. I flattened it down and did the typical morning routine; brushed my teeth, used some mouth wash, threw on some deodorant, and rinsed my mouth. Nothing interesting. My eye looked swollen, the green iris barely being visible, but there was nothing I could do about that. I waved my mirror goodbye before strolling on out of my room.

Hallway was empty, with multiple family pictures hanging on the walls. Grace's door was slightly open, but that's all there was to point out. A small trip down the stairs later and I was in the living room. Marco sat on the couch, deeply engaged in the show that was playing on the TV. So engaged that he was completely oblivious to my presence. Grace sat next to him but didn't seem to really be watching, actually being able to notice me. She rested against the couch's arm with a smile. "Look who finally woke up." I rolled my eyes as I approached them; Marco had come back to reality and was staring at me as well.

He glanced over at the clock, gaining wide eyes. "One?!" He returned to me. "That's a new record!"

I blew off his "compliment" and joined them on the couch, almost jumping on it. "Yeah yeah, don't tell me about it." The TV was playing a cartoon Marco liked to watch; something about a magical princess. I don't know, never really paid attention to it. "What's so special about this show anyway, Marco?" His interest in it confused me, to say the least.

He looked disgusted that I even asked such a question. "The plot, duh." His hands made gestures to the TV, which currently depicted some sort of fight. "It's so intricately woven, with every little detail mattering. Even the characters are great-" He paused for a moment, scratching his chin. "Although, things do start getting pretty mediocre after season two." I must have looked disinterested because he slumped down when making eye contact with me. "Did you even listen to any of that?"

My head went up and down. "Yep." I faced the TV again. A fight scene was currently on full display; it was mildly interesting. "Still don't get why you like it." I had watched a few episodes with him in the past; just not my thing. It was fun to annoy him though, so we'd commonly have this conversation weekly.

Marco raised an eyebrow. "I-" When he saw I was no longer interested in the conversation, he sighed, facing the TV as well. "Whatever."

A few moments passed before anything was said, them being filled with the sounds of the cartoon. It was an interesting show, I'd give Marco that much. It made a good background for whatever I daydreamed about when I stared off into space. Eventually, Grace moved around a bit. "So..." her voice trailed off as I felt her breath get closer to my cheek. "Why'd you sleep so late?"

I did a little roll of the shoulders. "Not sure. Wasn't even up late."

Grace looked like she wanted to say more, but the last voice I wanted to hear after waking up late cut through her words. "Well, Charlie Ivan Diaz..." Mom's voice echoed from the kitchen. I felt a shiver go up my spine; she never uses my full name for a good reason, especially my first. Her silhouette walked to the edge of the living room and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I hope you have some magical plan to fix your sleeping schedule because you know school starts in three days. And if it's not better by then-" She gave me the classic Mom death glare, so strong that it made me cringe. "There will be hell to pay."

Panic entered my brain as all my " **RED ALERT** " levers were pulled. My mind scrambled for something to say. "O-oh, don't you worry Mom!" I tried my best to smile, a bead of sweat flowing down my face. "I, um, have the g-greatest plan, uh... ever to fix my sleeping schedule!"

She stared at me for a little longer before a smile replaced her frown. "Good!" She walked over to the front door and grabbed her purse, which was sitting next to it. "Now, I'm going to go get some groceries. Your dad should be back soon from his friends, so try to keep the house in one piece until then."

Marco gave her a thumbs-up as he continued to stare at the TV. "Will do."

Me and Grace waved at her as she left the house. The moment she was gone, I dropped my calm facade. I rested my face in my hands. "I'm so screwed."

Grace blew away what I said like it was nothing. "Yeah right! Fixing your sleeping schedule is a piece of cake." She rubbed her chin as she stared off in space. "Maintaining it is the hard part.

"Well then, 'Grace the master of sleep-'" I gestured at her. "Got any suggestions on how I fix this?"

When she said nothing, Marco spoke up. "You could stay up all night."

My head turned to him, the expression I had was not far off from confusion. "In what world does that help me sleep?"

He shrugged. "I read online that it, like, resets your internal clock. Just as long as you don't fall asleep until the time you want to."

I considered what he said for a moment but quickly realized how dangerous of an idea it was. "You make some of the most detailed plans I've ever seen about avoiding a peice of glass, but you can't come up with anything better for something actually pratical?" I shook my head. "I'd pass out before 11."

He quickly crossed his arms. "Hey! I'll have you know that glass can cause serious wounds, even stabbing your feet through shoes. It is more than pratical to-" Thankfully, he stopped his rant on glass once he saw my face. He looked around the room. "Then, umm, I don't know..." His voice trailed off before he attempted to smile, his eyes full of hesitation. "Drink a warm glass of milk?"

I slumped down, a sigh, escaping me. "Yep. I'm fucked."

Grace pat my shoulder. "Take it easy, Chip. I mean, what's the worse Mom can do?" My depressed glare staring her in the face was all she needed to realize the gravity of the situation. "Okay, she can do a lot of bad things, but there's no way your sleeping schedule won't be fixed by then!"

I rubbed my face. "I don't even know why it's getting worse! I'm not going to bed late, but I'm waking up later every day. I just wish-"

My sentence was cut short by some loud tapping, almost banging, coming from the door. It was just three, but the volume of it was enough to gain all of our attention. Marco turned to the two of us before facing the door. "Did you guys invite anyone over?"

Grace shook her head. "Not that I know of."

He stood up. "Let's hope it's just a salesman then." He walked up to the door and took a little peek through the peephole. A few moments passed before he began to squint. "Who in the world are they?"

That was all I needed to join his side. "Let me see." He moved out of the way and I put my eye up to it. After it focused, I quickly gained the same facial expression Marco once had.

There were three people, all of them unrecognizable to me. One was a man with a long, blonde beard; he was on... the shorter side, to put it nicely. His light blue tuxedo stuck out like a sore thumb, his staff taller than himself with a sapphire crystal in the shape of a moon not helping. A middle-aged lady was not too far away from him, her expression almost the opposite of pleased. She had a blue dress. Her hair was almost as big as her head, molded into the shape of a heart. It was strangely blue. There was a certain aura around her that just made me... uncomfortable. Just behind them, barely in sight, was a girl around my age. She had long, blonde hair and had the most normal clothing by far, although it still was a little strange; especially the red hairband with devil horns sticking out of it. She wore a sea-green dress with short sleeves, far less formal than the lady. A... pink octopus was on the front of it? Like I said, still strange. Her unnaturally bright blue eyes glanced around at her surroundings like it was an alien planet. _I mean_ , _our house looks weird_ , I thought. _But does it really deserve_ ** _that_** _glare?_

The man reached to the door and knocked once again, blissfully unaware of the doorbell right next to him. He was definitely the source of the original knock seeing as a similar thud echoed through the door. Despite my better judgment, I felt like I should have opened the door. _They don't look like they're going to kidnap us. Maybe just a quick talk with them_... I didn't need much more convincing than that as I barely cracked the door and stuck my head out. The two adults looked startled while the girl hadn't noticed yet, instead focused on a small butterfly. "Uh..." I struggled to talk with strangers. "Can I help you?"

Now that I was in front of them, I realized just how much jewelry they had on. The girl was the only one who lacked any. All of it was probably worth thousands of dollars, especially the sapphire crystal. Eventually, the man coughed into his arm. "Excuse me but-" His accent threw me off guard; he was definitely not from a city. The strange part is, I couldn't pinpoint exactly _where he was from_. "-This wouldn't happen to be the Diaz residence, would it?" he finished.

I blinked a few times before glancing around to make sure there was no white van waiting for us. Just a strange car. "Yeah... yeah it is."

He must've not noticed my suspension because he continued like nothing happened. "Are Angelica and Rafael home?"

Okay, knowing that he was at the Diaz residence was strange enough, but even knowing Mom's full name sent my mind to the marathons. I stared blankly at him. "How the hell do you know them?"

He appeared to finally see my confusion. "Ah, we're good friends with them, you see! It had been quite some time since we last talked though, so we thought we'd stop by for a little chat. We have some..." His eyes darted over to the girl who was currently chasing after the butterfly from earlier. "...Important matters to discuss."

I raised an eyebrow. "If you're good friends with them, how come this is the first time I've ever seen you."

He gestured at me with a hardy laugh. "Well I could say the same about you!"

The lady looked down at the man, her expression still far from pleased. "It's been ten years, River; they've probably had more children in that time." Her voice sounded like she was constantly letting out a long breath of air, similar to how a disappointed parent sounds like.

I felt my face scrunch up. "What? No!" I sighed as I rubbed my eyes. "Look, I don't have any proof that you actually know them, so I'm just gonna-"

For the second time that day, my sentence was cut short by a loud bang. This time though, it came from a car. Our car, to be specific. It was the familiar sound of the engine barely being able to move. A few seconds passed before it pulled up into our driveway, Dad being in the driver's seat. The engine was finally put to rest as he got out, his eyes closed. When the door shut is when he opened them, his eyes growing wide when he the man, or River, and the lady. "Do my eyes deceive me?" he asked in a happy voice as he stepped up to the two.

River turned around, letting out another laugh. "Rafael!" He went up to him, making me see the bald spot in the middle of his head. "Long time no see, old friend!"

Dad stared at him for a few moments before a wide smile went across his face. "What took you so long? You said you'd be here last week!" Probably the happiest I had seen him in a while.

River fanned away his words. "Ah, you know. We had some trouble with Star."

Dad rested his hands on his hips. "Speaking of the trouble maker, where is she? I haven't got a good look at her since she was three!"

He gestured over to the now-empty path. "Why, she's right-" When he looked over and realized she had moved, he sighed. He looked around for a moment before his eyes landed on something; I looked over at it only to be surprised to see the girl's head in a shrub. "She's in a bush!" he let out with a chuckle.

The lady looked at the same place. "What?" Her displeased expression turned to anger when she saw it. She stomped over there. "Star! Get out of there this instant!"

The two of them chuckled as they watched the scene unfold. Seeing as no one was speaking, I took the chance to ask a question. "Wait... you know them, Dad?" I was almost convinced River had lied.

He shook his head. "Yep! They are good friends of me and your mother."

"Why are they here?"

His smile slightly dimmed. "Now that is a bit complicated." He turned to me before walking towards the door. "Come into the living room. I'll explain it to you all there."

River waved at him as the lady attempted to pull Star, I think, out of the bush. "I'll be out here until this situation is sorted out!" And with that, the door was shut.


End file.
